The Redskins had every reason to win yesterday. The Vikings have been a disappointing mess of a team this year after reaching the NFC Championship game last January. Minnesota can’t score points. Their passing game is weak. They turn the ball over with reckless abandon. They just dumped their head coach. But the Redskins just didn’t look up to the task yesterday, putting in an all-around lackluster effort — punctuated by a few killer mistakes — and gifted the Vikings a 17-13 victory. The agenda for this meeting of The Eternal Pessimist’s Club is presented herein for your review.

Injuries have been the center of Redskins universe this week for better, worse, and medium. The backfield will be without Clinton Portis and his separated groin for four to six weeks, leaving a ready and able Ryan Torain as the starting running back. Rookie offensive lineman Trent Williams returned to practice this week, and although he’s been limited, coach Mike Shanahan is optimistic that he’ll play. Finally, Hunter Smith has been brought back to punt in place of the injured Josh Bidwell, which can only mean one thing…it’s time for the swinging gate! Although not confirmed, the defense may be without Albert Haynesworth this weekend, as his brother was reportedly killed in a motorcycle accident on Thursday. Haynesworth’s absence would create a hole in the defense on passing downs, leaving Aaron Rodgers and the visiting Green Bay Packers to salivate at the opportunities before them.

Ugh. Really. I’m at the point now where I never want to see Washington attempt another wide receiver end around again. While the play had its heyday about twenty years ago, I cannot remember the last time Washington executed the offensive gimmick in a satisfying way. Surely there is a successful occasion of its execution that a mind untrammeled by the frustration of this past weekend might recall (feel free to have your way with…

When last we spoke of the Redskins, it was intimated that this column may show up today, boldly predicting, perhaps even guaranteeing a Redskins win this Sunday. Now, why would we do that? Are we crazy? And isn’t using the term “we” getting awfully presumptuous? It’s not like DCist’s editors have signed off on some kind of crazy prediction plan. They want to “grow a credible brand” and “vertically integrate” and otherwise please our Gothamist…

DCist is happy to announce that Jason Linkins (aka The DCeiver) has agreed to take over our football coverage and bring his weekly “Passion of the Gibbs” column over to our bandwidth. I gotta tell you, DC…we was robbed! Defeat was snatched from the jaws of victory this weekend at “Snyders of Landover” (as my buddy Josef V. calls it) when the seemingly miraculous Clinton Portis touchdown was called back on an illegal motion penalty…

With the biggest sports story of the week already written, returning to another Sunday of the NFL regular season may seem a little anti-climactic. Perhaps more so when you consider the Redskins upcoming home game against the Green Bay Packers—both teams started out with big wins, fell into long losing streaks, got mired in the basement of their respective divisions, and only now are showing some signs of life. Both teams are enduring some…